Editing Hardap Region (section)

==Demographics==
[[Image:HardapDam.JPG|right|thumb|250px|Hardap Dam, outside of Mariental, at sunrise in April 2008]]
According to the Namibia 2023 Population and Housing Census, Hardap had a population of 106,680 (52,357 females and 54,323 males or 104 males for every 100 females) growing at an annual rate of 2.4%. The [[fertility rate]] was 3.7 children per woman. 74.3% lived in urban areas while 25.7% lived in rural areas, and with an area of 109,651&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>, the population density was 1.0 persons per km<sup>2</sup>. By age, 11.9% of the population was under 5 years old, 21.4% between 5 and 14 years, 58.3% between 15 and 59 years, and 8.4% 60 years and older. The population was divided into 28,197 households, with an average size of 3.6 persons. 43.6% of households had a female head of house, while 56.4% had a male. For those 15 years and older, 68.5% had never married, 21.6% married with certificate, 0.6% married traditionally, 3.1% married by consensual union, 1.9% were divorced or separated, and 3.9% were widowed.<ref name=census>{{cite web |title=Hardap Region – Census Indicators, 2023 |url=https://census.nsanamibia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2023-Population-and-Housing-Census-Main-Report-28-Oct-2024.pdf |publisher=National Planning Commission |year=2023 |access-date=2024-04-08}}</ref>

The most commonly spoken languages at home were [[Afrikaans]] (44% of households), and [[Nama language|Nama]]/[[Damara (people)|Damara]] (44%). For those 15 years and older, the literacy rate was 83%. Nearly half of the population are from coloured and white Namibian groups. In terms of education, 84% of girls and 83% of boys between the ages of 6–15 were attending school, and of those older than 15, 73% had left school, 9% were currently at school, and 13% had never attended.<ref name=census/>

In 2001 the employment rate for the labor force (64% of those 15+) was 66% employed and 34% unemployed. For those 15+ years old and not in the labor force (29%), 29% were students, 37% home-makers, and 33% retired, too old, etc.<ref name=census/> According to the 2012 Namibia Labour Force Survey, unemployment in the Hardap Region stood at 28.8%. The two studies are methodologically not comparable.<ref>{{cite news
 |url         = http://www.namibian.com.na/news/full-story/archive/2013/april/article/unemployment-rate-still-alarmingly-high/
 |title       = Unemployment rate still alarmingly high
 |last        = Duddy
 |first       = Jo Maré
 |date        = 11 April 2013
 |newspaper   = [[The Namibian]]
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20130414025748/http://www.namibian.com.na/news/full-story/archive/2013/april/article/unemployment-rate-still-alarmingly-high
 |archive-date = 14 April 2013
}}</ref>

Among households, 93.2% had [[safe water]], 32.0% no toilet facility, 62.1% electricity for lighting, and 42.1% had wood or charcoal for cooking. In terms of household's main sources of income, 3.8% derived it from farming, 56.1% from wages and salaries, 3.4% from business or non-farming, and 15.9% from pension.<ref name=census/>

In 2011, 5.1% of the entire population had a disability, of which 6.3% were deaf, 10.8% hearing impaired, 6.8% blind, 22.2% visually impaired, 5.1% had a speech disability, 11.2% upper limb disability, 26.5% lower limb disability, and 16.0% mental disability.<ref name =Census2011/>